


In Your Orbit

by SheithAndBlade



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Feels, Fix-It, Gay Romance, M/M, OTP Feels, Post-Canon Fix-It, Romance, SHEITH - Freeform, vld, voltron after the epilogue, voltron season 8
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 20:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17008440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheithAndBlade/pseuds/SheithAndBlade
Summary: This is a sheith fix-it fic, because the epilogue of season 8 was so terrible and I don't accept it.Summary: Three years after Shiro got married and Keith joined the Blade of Marmora in their mission to give aid to those in need, Keith suddenly comes back to meet with Shiro.Things have been bad between Shiro and his husband and maybe this time things can be resolved between Keith and Shiro, now that Keith is finally back in his orbit.





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is almost like a preface. It's very short but his is where I wanted to start the story.  
> Again, this is a fix-it fic that takes place 3 years after season 8 ended because I cannot accept that a love so grand as the love between Keith and Shiro just be thrown in the trash like the creators did in season 8.  
> So here, have this fanfic, because this is how it should have ended.

When he’d heard the news his heart had skipped a beat. His lips had spread into a wide smile that wouldn’t go away and he’d felt more joy in his heart than he’d had for over three years now. 

Keith was coming back! Keith was coming to see him! Keith.   
How he’d longed for this news, he realized, without even knowing it all this time. Or so he’d told himself. 

Shiro ran out into the garden still with that big smile stuck on his face and yelled “He’s coming back! Keith is coming back!”  
Lance who stood some distance away working on Shiro’s flowerbed perked up and wiped his hands on his apron.   
“What? Mullet is coming back?!” Lance’s face broke into a smile and there was something extremely familiar that tugged at Shiro’s heart at hearing Lance call Keith “mullet”.

He ran up all the way to Lance and had the inexplicable urge to take Lance’s hands and jump up and down. He refrained from doing that.   
“I just got the comm message, he said he was done with his releif-aid for the moment and needed a break from training with the Blades, so he’s taking some time off to visit us.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I get to see Keith again, what’s it been like a year since I last saw him?” Lance wondered counting the months on his fingers. 

“Y-You saw Keith a year ago?” Shiro’s heart stilled. It had been three years for him. Three. Then again Shiro couldn’t blame him, Keith had withdrawn once Shiro was married. No, that wasn’t fair, the truth was that Shiro had withdrawn long before that and though he loved Keith more than anything, he had put a wall between them since Keith had rescued him that day when he’d fought Shiro’s clone. 

“Yeah he came around more often to visit me after I lost Allura, though. He was so great about it, a true friend.” Lance turned to Shiro.   
“So you haven’t seen him for longer I take it?”

Shiro’s hands trembled. He hadn’t known Keith had met with the others but not with him. He’d just assumed Keith had withdrawn from everyone. What a fool he’d been. Of course he hadn’t withdrawn from the others, they hadn’t done what Shiro had done to him. 

“I haven’t seen Keith for three years” Shiro replied and looked down at the dirt on the ground. 

Lance looked momentarily surprised, but then he nodded in understanding.  
“Oh. Wow. I guess it was harder on him than he let on.” 

Shiro started “What was harder on him?” 

Lance frowned “You know, the fact that you’re the only person he’s ever loved and he lost you, mourned you, then you came back from the dead and then you were a clone and then he finally got you – the real you – back again after almost dying trying to save your life, but you rejected him and married someone else.” 

Shiro gaped, his jaw was down to the floor and he didn’t know what to say.   
The only thing he could think of was: “I didn’t reject him” not outwardly, not with so many words...but perhaps with actions…

“Didn’t you though?” Lance asked, holding a juniberry flower to his cheek and with a mysterious smile he walked off to the comforting shade of the pavilion and sat down to rest.   
Shiro just stood there, his mind racing. 

So even Lance knew. Did everyone know? Of course they did. Everyone knew what a phenomenal jerk he’d been. But Keith was coming to see him again, maybe he’d forgiven Shiro? Maybe his heart was healed and they could be friends again. Friends who actually talked on a day to day basis, his heart fluttered at the thought. And there was this little part of him, this nagging, insistent part that wanted Keith to not be okay.   
This horrible, nonsensical part wanted Keith to not be over him.


	2. Back In Your Orbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith arrives. Hugs are mandatory. Things are tense.

It was like time had stood still. Shiro looked just the same as he had before. His shoulders were still broad, his muscles still bulging, his hair was still white from when Allura had healed him and he still looked at Keith in that mysterious way that Keith couldn’t decipher what it meant. 

Shiro had never wanted to talk about that day when Keith had saved him, and told him he loved him. Perhaps because Keith had said “you’re my brother” - when he hadn’t really meant it. Keith kicked himself for that every day. Why was he such a coward? He could throw himself into black holes, fight alien armies or fly right into the belly of a giant space monster, but he couldn’t for the life of him tell Shiro he loved him in a romantic way. 

The truth was he used the “brother” line to mask his romantic feelings. He’d used it every time he had wanted to communicate to Shiro that he loved him and cared about him without the risk of rejection. Because as much as he loved Shiro, Shiro had never said those words back to him. 

When Shiro had suddenly began dating Curtis and that quickly lead to marriage Keith took it as a sign that Shiro had never understood how Keith felt about him. But seeing Shiro with someone else has been too much for Keith. He had promised they’d always be friends but he couldn’t bring himself to see Shiro after the wedding had taken place. It hurt too much. 

 

*

He stood there, as if he’d never been out of Shiro’s life. Keith. 

Keith touched the back of his head. His hair was cropped short in an undercut but his bangs still drifted down long over his forehead, between his eyes. Last time Shiro had seen Keith was at his wedding and he’d had long hair, his mullet had grown out over his shoulders and he’d put up his hair in a ponytail. 

Now Keith looked like a gorgeous singer in a rock-band with his ripped black jeans, his leather jacket and a red striped flannel shirt tied haphazardly around his hips. He was slightly broader over the shoulders than last time he’d seen him, not a lot but enough to be noticeable. His chest and arms looked more muscular.  
He’d obviously been training with the Blade of Marmora some more. 

Shiro was floored. Keith looked even more beautiful than Shiro remembered. His violet eyes glittered at him like starlight, with hope, recognition and happiness. Keith’s smile seemed to light a flame inside Shiro’s heart and his own smile broke free at seeing his friend stride happily towards him. Friend. Right. 

He pulled Keith into a warm hug, languishing in the feeling. This wasn’t a hug obstructed with armor, or tinged with the bittersweet farewell of going into battle.  
This was a hug of “welcome home” this was a hug of “I’ve missed you” and it was also a hug of “I didn’t know how much I needed you until now.” 

He breathed in Keith’s scent, his hair smelled like cloves with a hint of mint, his body was pliant and warm against his. If anyone had been looking they’d definitely had thought that it was a reunion between lovers. The way they lingered just a little longer than platonic friends would, the way they both smiled as if nothing else in the world held contentment for them. 

“Keith, it’s so good to see you” Shiro beamed “how have you been?”  
Keith froze for a moment, like he didn’t know how to answer the question. But he quickly composed his features and smiled softly. 

“I’ve been doing okay lately” he said as he reached for his bag but winced as he tried to pick it up.  
“Keith, you’re hurt?” worry all over Shiro’s face.  
“Nah, it’s nothing. I just dislocated my shoulder the other day and it still kind of hurts. Guess I’m getting old” Keith chuckled and watched Shiro reach for his bag.  
He slung it over his shoulder and forbade Keith to carry it.  
You still look beautiful, Shiro wanted to say. But batted away the thought internally. 

On the car ride back to Shiro’s place Keith told Shiro all about how he was training a new generation of Marmora recruits together with Kolivan and his mom. How they were giving help to people in need and providing food and shelter for people who had nothing. 

Shiro couldn’t have been more proud of Keith. He sounded happy, like he loved what he was doing, and Shiro realized his heart was content at that moment. He felt completely at peace talking to Keith like this, knowing Keith was doing important things and enjoying helping others. 

“You always did have a big heart” Shiro said and surprised even himself saying it. Keith looked taken aback. Like he hadn’t expected it.  
He rubbed his hands nervously on his jeans, but didn’t address it. Instead he chose to change the subject.  
“Uh, so how have you been Shiro? How’s Curtis?” Keith asked, mostly out of courtesy. 

“I’m good, in general” Shiro said trying to avoid the subject of Curtis.  
“I’ve been working a little on the house. You have to see it, it’s beautiful.” The house. The house that was meant for him and Curtis to live in, him and his husband.  
“I never asked, but is Curtis okay with me staying at your house while I’m here?” Keith looked at him with big worried eyes, and Shiro knew he couldn’t put it off any longer.

“Curtis is not staying here at the moment”  
“Oh. Where is he?” Keith said apprehensively, having seen the look in Shiro’s face and knew something was up. 

Shiro took a deep breath.  
“Curtis is staying with his family for the time being. We’re separated.” 

“Shiro” Keith gasped and Shiro looked away from the road to see a pair of big violet eyes looking at him with genuine concern. Keith was always so good. He just wanted Shiro to be happy, and a separation or impending divorce never made anyone happy. 

“I’m sorry” was all Keith said and waited to see if Shiro wanted to explain the situation.  
“It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s been going on for a while.” That’s all he really wanted to say about it. Not that Curtis couldn’t hope to compare to Keith. Not that anyone ever could. Not at all. 

There was a tangible tension left from that conversation as they pulled up to Shiro’s house. Keith looked like he was struggling with several thoughts at once. But Shiro wanted to put him at ease, his best friend was here and he had missed him so incredibly, and he just wanted it to be easy and fun between them, so he smiled brightly instead and started telling Keith all about the house, how he’d built most of it himself, guiding his friend around the house and telling him all about the different rooms and what was in them. 

*

It turned out Shiro had built what Keith considered more or less a palace. There was a room for everything. There was a training room, a library, several guestrooms, a garden on the outside with a pavilion and even a goddamned pool. Shiro had been keeping busy it seemed. 

In a way Keith wasn’t surprised. Shiro wasn’t the sort of person who would just slack off and get married and do nothing. He was a high achiever after all, he was a hard worker, he always came up with new projects and he loved doing them. Keith knew Shiro wasn’t made for the simple life, neither was he. That’s why Keith had been so surprised when Shiro had said he wanted to retire after the war and get married to some random dude. Okay, Keith knew he wasn’t exactly being fair or unbiased, but to him Curtis had been random at the time. He’d watched Shiro date this guy all of two months before he’d announced that he was getting married. It felt so rushed that it had blindsided Keith. 

And he’d been heartbroken about it for longer than he wanted to admit. 

Finally Shiro had led Keith to a room directly opposite Shiro’s own bedroom. This was to be Keith’s room.  
“When I decorated this room I thought of you” Shiro said, not looking at Keith but staring into the room itself with a look like he was deep in thought “I thought, when Keith comes to visit, he’ll need a room of his own. No one has stayed in this room before. It was waiting for you.” 

Keith’s cheeks burned. His heart ached. He didn’t want to think about why he’d stayed away for so long, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. 

“Why did it take so long for you to come visit me?” Shiro asked, and he knew it was an unfair question, but he wanted an answer. He didn’t know exactly what he was hoping to hear. Or maybe he did know it, but he was still too afraid to admit it.  
“It’s been three years, Keith” he said and his voice was soft and somber. 

Keith bit his lip and shook his head. 

“There’s something I wanted to tell you.” he said, his voice just as soft and somber as Shiro’s.  
“But right now I’m exhausted from flying in from space to be honest, and I’d rather have full possession of my faculties when we have this conversation.” Keith looked at Shiro with an unreadable expression. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?” Keith asked. 

Shiro looked a little surprised but nodded and squeezed Keith’s arm gently.  
“Of course” he said and left Keith to unpack his things, telling him to come down for dinner when he was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally twice as long, but I felt I needed to make it a little bit shorter so the chapters match up a little more and there was no good place to divide them, so I just cut it off here (if y'all are wondering why the end is so abrupt.) Chapter 3 to come soon.


	3. It Hurts So Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner is eaten. Past lovers are revealed. And Shiro gets awfully flustered over a mere hurting shoulder.

They’d spent the evening over steak and glasses of wine with this unspoken thing between them, both pretending to ignore it until they both fell into easy conversation and companionship and things felt easier between them. Shiro had been a gracious host and a good cook to Keith’s surprise. And they’d bantered and joked around soon enough, leaving them both with the feeling that when they were together everything would be alright. 

As night fell they sat in Shiro’s pavilion, sipping on drinks and enjoying the silence of night time, only interrupted by the chirping of the occasional cicada. Keith breathed in the clean air and looked up at the sky. The light from the pool illuminating his face, making his eyes look blue.   
Shiro yet again wondered what it was that Keith wanted to talk to him about, but didn’t want to ask again. He’d agreed to talk about it tomorrow and he would respect Keith’s wishes. There was something else he was curious about though. 

“So...” Shiro began, feeling his cheeks heat up and was suddenly thankful for the darkness.   
“So?” Keith said when Shiro didn’t continue. Shiro inhaled sharply.   
“Eh, I know we never really talked about this but...I was wondering, do you have anyone special in your life, Keith?” Shiro tried to school his features into a neutral expression, but he wasn’t entirely sure he was succeeding. Keith was looking at him with a slightly alarmed expression and Shiro didn’t know what to make of it.   
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” he quickly added, he didn’t want Keith to be uncomfortable.   
“No. It’s ok.” Keith said “I was just a little surprised. We never talk about stuff like that.”   
Keith sat up a little straighter in his chair. 

“There was someone, while I was doing aid-work with the Blades. Someone I didn’t expect who was there for me when I really needed someone to be there for me.”   
“What’s their name?” And just as Shiro asked the question, he realized he didn’t know whether Keith was gay or bi or straight or perhaps pansexual. All this time he could have been asexual and Shiro wouldn’t have known. Suddenly he felt like the worst friend ever. But Keith was right, they never did talk about stuff like that. But maybe, Shiro realized, that was because he’d never asked. 

“It’s James Griffin” he said and watched Shiro’s jaw drop.   
Shiro felt an incomprehensible surge of jealousy, it made his veins burn with acid at the thought of Keith with James Griffin.   
“You and Griffin?? But you guys hated each other!” he exclaimed. 

“That’s when we were both kids with attitude problems. We actually became friendly- well -ish, during the war. And when I left Altea to join the Blades again he looked me up.” Keith said matter of factly. 

Shiro wasn’t stupid. he’d seen the way other people gawked at Keith, that’s why he’d always thought Keith would be fine. He never thought Keith would be in any danger of being alone, he would always be within spitting distance of a suitor. Boys and girls always worshiped the ground he walked on, and as a Savior of the Universe he could have his pick. It seemed strange to Shiro that he’d made it sound almost like he was...lonely. 

“So are you guys still together?” Shiro asked and he cursed at himself when he realized his voice came out a little bit clipped.   
“No” Keith said without betraying his emotions “it lasted a while, but James and I, we always knew it was a whirlwind thing.”   
“Oh” Shiro said, and honestly didn’t know what else to say.   
“I’m getting tired. Mind if I go to bed?” Keith asked.   
“Not at all.” Shiro said and followed Keith up to his room. 

 

When Shiro had left the bathroom, striding along the hallway in his pajamas he was just about to close the door to his room when he heard a thunk and a loud swearword coming from Keith’s room.   
Shiro knocked on the door “Keith, are you alright?” he asked.

When the door swung open his breath was taken away at the sight of a shirtless Keith standing there holding a tube of something in his one hand and the other hand on the doorknob.   
His eyes roamed the expanse of Keith’s skin, his hard muscles underneath, the very clear six-pack of his abdomen. The scars strewn every here and there. Those were scars of battle, Shiro knew as he had a few of his own. The look in Keith’s eyes was pained. 

“Shiro do you mind rubbing this cream on my shoulder? It just aches a lot and I can’t reach.” Keith mumbled. He looked like he’d rather not be asking, but the fact that he did told Shiro that Keith was in a lot of pain. 

“Yeah, sure. Let’s sit down.” Shiro said after he’d cleared his throat and they sat on Keith’s bed.   
“Where does it hurt?” Shiro asked, and Keith indicated with a finger the general area.   
Shiro put some cream in his hands and carefully caressed the skin along Keith’s shoulder, afraid that it would hurt him. 

Keith turned his eyes over his shoulder, piercing Shiro with his gaze.   
“I’m not made of glass, Takashi, you can go harder” 

There were a multitude of things about that sentence that clogged up Shiro’s brain, it was the fact that Keith called him Takashi, something he’d only dreamed about being called by a lover, and then there was something about going harder?? 

His heart started hammering in his chest but he complied with Keith’s wishes anyway, his cheeks burning red all the while. Thank god Keith didn’t see him now.  
His hands drifted over the skin of Keith’s back, making sure to get every little expanse of skin covered with the alleviating cream and massaged his shoulders as he did. Keith closed his eyes and let out a soft moan that went straight to Shiro’s groin. 

“Oh man, that feels so good” Keith sighed, completely unaware of the effect he was having on Shiro. 

Shiro’s hands massaged Keith’s shoulders and ran across his back, and when Keith leaned back a little at Shiro’s touch, he was so lost in the moment that he couldn’t think straight, he leaned in to Keith and breathed in the scent of his skin, his hair, his fingers reaching up to run over Keith’s neck and almost delving into his hair. They were both breathing heavily, Shiro sobered up when he caught himself almost reaching around Keith’s waist to pull him up into his lap. In the moment it was all he wanted, and in that moment he realized he had to stop. 

“Are you feeling better now?” Shiro asked, willing his hands to stop touching and his dick to calm down. He was still gently rubbing where Keith said it hurt the most. His voice had come out dark, and he knew he couldn’t stay and just talk to him like nothing happened.   
“Yeah, that was great. Thanks, Shiro.” Keith said, sounding a little tired, or was it something else? His voice was raspier than usual. Maybe Shiro was imagining things. His body certainly had imagined things.   
As Keith slipped on a t-shirt, Shiro slipped out of the room. 

Inside his own room his mind was going mile-a-minute. Damn, that had been hot. And dangerous. Keith was his best friend, he couldn’t be doing this. He couldn’t be feeling this.   
But all he could think about for hours when he went to bed was a mass of dark hair, a pair of sharp eyes looking at him from behind his shoulder, and Keith’s voice when he’d moaned ringing in his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pining Shiro has got to be the best Shiro. :P   
> I'm going to be away from tomorrow on. But I hope I'm going to be able to post chapter 4 at least during the holidays. Until then I'll leave you with a turned on Shiro, and an oblivious Keith.


	4. Joyride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro feels things. They take a ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for being the worst at updating, but I will defend myself with the fact that I have been away since christmas and since coming back a week after new years my life has been busy every moment. I'm hoping I have more time for regular updates from now on. Hope 2019 is going good for everyone so far!

Shiro woke up thinking about Keith, who was incidentally sleeping in the room across from him. They’d never talked about the fact that Keith had almost died with him that day when he had battled Shiro’s clone. Keith had chosen to die with Shiro rather than letting Shiro’s clone go and save himself. 

The magnitude of love and devotion revealed by this action had Shiro awed that Keith loved him with such intensity. But since then there had also been this tension between them, something they hadn’t had before Keith had uttered those three fateful words “I love you.” They’d never talked about that either. And Shiro had fled into Curtis’ arms and held onto him as a lifeboat to escape the feelings that had been brought on by those unexpected three words. 

“I love you” - the words rang louder in his head every time he thought about it. 

Shiro had told himself over and over again that Keith had only meant it in a platonic way, that he loved Shiro just like a “brother” just like he’d said. But somehow that hadn’t made him any less confused about it. Maybe the reason why Shiro felt like he had to convince himself over and over was because somewhere deep down he knew it wasn’t true. 

Before that moment Shiro had never thought Keith loved him in any other way. But choosing to fall to his death with Shiro sort of contradicted his “you’re my brother” line...followed with a rare “I love you” - something Shiro knew for a fact Keith had never said to anyone else, and took the words with utmost seriousness. It’s what made the clone break contact and enabled Shiro to emerge to consciousness even for just that moment. His soul had heard Keith’s words and been moved by them. 

Shiro told himself it couldn’t be, Keith had never loved him like that, why would he start now?

And then he’d met Curtis, and it had been so easy flirting, dating, not one doubt in his mind whether Curtis liked him or not. The certainty was soothing and gratifying and it had been exciting when they’d first met. Shiro had been happy. 

But would Curtis ever truly compare to Keith who had saved Shiro’s life several times over? Could Curtis ever love Shiro that deeply to never give up on him the way Keith had done? Could anyone?

Despite the doubts in his mind Shiro did what he did best and pushed those thoughts and feelings aside and just went full-steam ahead with marrying someone he’d only known for a few months. 

 

When Shiro remembered how sullen Keith had looked at his wedding, his heart ached.   
Keith had congratulated the both of them of course, he wanted Shiro to be happy after all. But he hadn’t looked happy. Keith had worn the best man suit and tied his hair into a ponytail, but he’d been closed off and his arms crossed over his chest during the whole celebration.   
Thinking back, Shiro had known the moment he had said “I do” that the person he probably should have married was staring at him gravely from behind his shoulder. 

Keith hadn’t stayed for long. He took off saying he was going on a mission, not looking Shiro in the eyes, he just hugged him and said he’d be in touch.   
Keith had sent the odd message every now and then, but every time Shiro asked him to come to Earth and visit him, or asked if he could come and see Keith, he’d just gotten a short answer back that he was busy, that he didn’t want to intrude on his and Curtis’ life. No matter how much Shiro tried to convince Keith he’d never intrude, that he was family, Keith didn’t seem to believe him. Shiro hadn’t seen Keith for three years. Not until now. 

But now things had changed between them. They were no longer as intertwined in each other’s lives as they had been before, but they were still drawn to each other, like gravity. And some beautiful chance of fate had brought Keith back into his orbit once again. 

 

*

When Keith had come down for breakfast in the morning Shiro’s heart had skipped several beats. Keith’s short mussed hair and sleepy eyes paired with a couple of soft pink lips had Shiro stuttering his words and knocking things over. He’d always known Keith was beautiful, but now it was like something had awakened in him, the knowledge wasn’t just knowledge anymore, it was awareness. And right this moment he was hyper aware of just how beautiful Keith was, and how it was affecting him. 

Shiro tried not to think about how he’d touched Keith’s skin last night, how Keith had moaned when he’d massaged his shoulders. He tried. And failed. 

“Hey, Keith” Shiro said over pancakes, watching his friend turn his eyes towards him with a soft smile and Shiro was momentarily distracted by how the collar of Keith’s over-sized t-shirt was riding down his shoulder slowly. Shiro’s eyes followed the movement, roaming over the expanse of skin slowly being revealed. 

He cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. This Keith, morning-Keith was too cute to handle. 

“Shiro?” Keith said and raised his eyebrows at Shiro’s silence.   
“Oh, uh...there’s something I want to show you after breakfast.” Shiro smiled knowingly “I think you’ll like it.”   
“What is it?”  
“You’ll see” Shiro mused, loving the scowl on Keith’s face when he understood that Shiro wouldn’t tell him what it was no matter how much he begged. 

 

Shiro loved to surprise Keith. He loved watching the awe and wonder in his eyes when he’d managed to completely surprise him. This time was no different. When they’d gotten dressed after breakfast he’d led Keith to the garage. He watched with fascination Keith’s smile widen, his eyes glitter with starlight and his entire composure change when Shiro revealed a gleaming red hover-bike underneath a protective sheet. 

“Oh my god, Shiro” Keith’s eyes lit up.   
“Is this your old hover-bike?” Like, the exact same one?” 

Shiro grinned and nodded enthusiastically.   
“Yes it is. I went back to the desert to find it, and there it was by the shack. Like time hadn’t moved. Like we hadn’t been away for so long” he said a little somber, but with genuine fondness. 

Keith didn’t speak, he just ran a hand over the bike in wonder. 

“Well, maybe not exactly like that, it was pretty run down, the paint almost entirely scraped off by the wind and sand. But I fixed it up. Gave it a new paint job.” 

Keith fixed Shiro with a mischievous look and bit his lower lip.   
“Let’s take a ride, you and I. For old times sake.” He looked like he would burn up if he didn’t get his wish. 

“Oh no, I’m not getting on a joyride with you, I know better” Shiro laughed.

“Common, Shiro. You’ve always given just as good as you get” Keith’s eyebrow quirked in challenge. And he totally had him there, Shiro shared that with Keith, the competitiveness excited them both. 

Shiro couldn’t resist it. Keith was right, as always. Shiro couldn’t believe that he’d almost forgotten this part of himself, a part so ingrained in him, the part only Keith ever saw long before the Kerberos mission, long before Voltron. 

“Remember that first time I rode with you on the hover-bike? I thought we were gonna crash” Keith laughed and Shiro laughed with him, and it was THIS, this was the heart of them, this was what Keith had been missing all these years. How easy it was just to be with Shiro. 

“I might have been trying to impress you” Shiro admitted. 

“Really?” Keith perked up. 

“Yeah, I wanted you to think I was cool” Shiro shrugged.

“You did?” Keith asked, his eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. He stepped closer to Shiro who struggled not to take a step forward as well and fought the urge to pull Keith flush against him. 

“I might have thought you were just a little bit cool” Keith confessed. Their eyes met and Shiro forgot how to breathe until the moment Keith broke eye-contact and ran his hands along the lines of the bike.

“So...” he smiled with that wily smile of his “shall we?” And he held a hand out to Shiro like a gallant knight. 

 

The ride was wilder than any rides Shiro remembered taking with Keith before. Or maybe Keith had just gotten that much better at flying. As they sped through the canyons they both laughed and made excited noises, it was the most fun they’d had together since before Shiro had gone on the Kerberos mission. 

Shiro had leaned into Keith, his arms around Keith’s waist, his chin at the crook of his neck. The wind blew through his hair, whipping it this way and that while he laughed out loud and whooped as they drove down a cliff, and touched down softly just above the ground. 

Keith slowed down to a more comfortable speed as they slowly approached the house. Shiro tightened his arms around Keith’s waist, he didn’t want this moment to end. He breathed in Keith’s scent of starlight, cloves and mint, realizing this feeling in his chest, this fluttering of his heart, this tingling, thrilling, bittersweet feeling was growing stronger with every second he spent with Keith. 

They pulled up to the garage and turned off the engine. Shiro was loathe to let go and reluctantly broke away as Keith moved to get off the vehicle.   
“Thanks for the ride, Keith. It’s the most fun I’ve had since...” Shiro wanted to say ‘since last time you and I were alone together’ or ‘since before I got married’ but settled on “...well, in a long time.”

Keith just stared at Shiro, his eyes were guarded, like he had his walls back up. A drastic change since just before they took off, when he had been relaxed and carefree. Shiro didn’t know what set this off. 

“I missed you” Keith said “I missed this. Just having fun together and being… like we used to.” 

“We can be like this all the time, you know.” Shiro replied, not knowing how to fix this. How could he put Keith at ease? It never used to be difficult. 

Keith shook his head slowly.   
“I don’t think we can. I don’t think I can.”


End file.
